Apparatus for bending pipes



(No Model.) A 3 Sheefs-Sheet 1.

R. CLARKE. v APPARATUS FOR BENDING PIPES.

Patented May 17,1898.

4 o M w WW W W a w A. NN. 5H 3 u 9 Q a u wN NM. mm A W N A A Q a a @N Qm u a u a n m H w m N b m w 3 m Q ON QN.

w H m Q Q NW HQ 1 J N m w (N0 Moflel.) 3 Sheets-Sheet; 2.

' R. CLARKE. APPARATUS FOR BENDING PIPES.

No. 604,021. v Patented May 17,1898.

(No Model.) a sheets sheet 3.

R. CLARKE. APPARATUS FOR. BENDING PIPES.

"Not 604,021. Patented May17,1898

I IN? ROBERT CLARKE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR BENDING PIPES.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,021, dated May17, 1898.

Application filed December 29, 1897, SerialNo. 664,234. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT CLARKE, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forBending Pipes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus for bending pipes suchas is shown in Letters Patent of the United States granted to me October3, 1893, and numbered 506,157; and my invention consists in certainimprovements intended to secure increased efficiency in the apparatusand a more regular and uniform product, as fully set forth hereinafterand as shown in the accompanying drawings,

in which Figure 1 is a side view of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2, aplan of Fig. 1; Fig. '3, an enlarged part sectional plan; Fig. 4, atransverse section, enlarged, on the line 4 4, Fig. 1; Fig.5, a rear endview; Fig. 6, a section on the line 6 6, Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a front endview.

The principal operation of my improvement can be best understood byreference to Fig. 5, in which A represents a die, shown as'consisting oftwo separable sections, in which there is a curved socket x,corresponding to the curve which is to be imparted to the pipe X. Thisdie A iscarried by a carriage B, which moves in a right line parallelwith the aXis of the pipe X and toward a tube D, having a recess toreceive one end of the pipe X, serving as a stationary abutmenttherefor.

As the carriage B travels toward the tube D, which holds the pipestationary, there is of course a tendency of the die A traveling ontothe pipe to bend the latter to conform to the socket m. It has beenfound in practice, however, that this is not sufficient to prevent thepipe from bending and wrinkling in the die A, and therefore a series ofspheres O, preferably of hard metal with smooth polished surfaces, isplaced within the pipe X. If these spheres are held stationary and thepipe is bent in the socket and the carriage travels forward, there wouldbe a slight traversing movement of the spheres, but in many cases notsufiicient to prevent the pipe from wrinkling or forming transversewaves, so that a perfect and regular and uniform bend is not secured. Toprevent this result, I impart to the series of spheres a movementlongitudinally in a direction opposite to that of the movement of thecarriage B, so that .as the carriage B moves toward the left the seriesof spheres move toward the right, and I prefer to impart to the spheresa movement greater in extent than that which is imparted to thecarriage. Thus if the carriage moves six inches toward the left theseries of spheres move at the same time thirty-six inches toward theright, and I have found that by this means I am enabled to bend the pipeinto bends which are absolutely uniform and regular in their contour. I

Of course it will be understood that the bend may be a bend on a fiatplane or it may be a bend upon a spiral plane, the pipe in such casefollowing a spiral socket in a suitably-formed die.

Different means may be employed for im parting movement to the carriagefor supporting the die thereon and for imparting movement to the seriesof spheres.

As shown, the pipe D is in two sections D D,

or, in other words, is cut away soas to admit of the entrance atopposite sides of the propelling-wheels E E, having correspondingperipheral sockets i, so arranged that the spheres G will successivelybe received into thesesockets and propelled forward through the pipeD asthe wheels revolve. The wheels are secured to the ends of two verticalshafts 1 1 in bearings upon the frame W of the machine, and at the lowerends of these shafts are two gear-wheels 2, which gear with each other,and upon one of the shafts is a wormwheel 3, which gears with a worm 4upon a shaft 5, having a driving-pulley 6 at the end.

The end of the section D of the shaft is turned up and connected with ahopper D into which the spheres are placed by hand after theysuccessively pass from the bent end of the pipes, or they may beconveyed from the latter to the hopper by means of any suitablemechanical conveyers.

The carriage B derives its motion from a screw-shaft F, having at therear end afcog wheel 14, which meshes with a pinion 15 on theend of theshaft 5 and is driven thereby. The intermediate pinion 17 is carried byan adjustable support I, having slots to receive supporting-pins 99,extendin g from the frame,

and. another slot to receive an eccentric-pin '10 on the end of a shaft12, the turning of which will move the support I, so as to carry thegear 17 into and out of gear with the wheel 14 when it is desired tostop the traveling movement of the carriage. The shaft 12 turns insuitable bearings upon the frame and is provided with a handle 13,extending to one side of the frame, by means of which the operator canturn the shaft to adjust the support I.

It will of course be evident that by substituting a larger or smallergear 17 for that shown the rate of travel of the carriage B may bechanged.

Any suitable connection can be made between the screw-shaft F and thecarriage, so as to cause the latter to move as the shaft revolves.

In the construction of the die A shown there are two parts 18 19, hingedtogether at 20, the part 18, provided with a link 21, which hasprojections 22 and may be swung to bring these projections under the lip23 of the lower part 19 to lock the two parts in place duringoperations. By swinging out the link the two parts are unclamped at thatend and the upper part may be swung over to expose the socket.

As the pipe Xis generally of soft metal, it is desirable to have atubular guide to support the same adjacent to the die A. vSuch a guide Jis formed in separable partsas, for instance, a lower part 25, securedto the car riage B, and an upper part having lugs 27, through whichpasses a rod 28 upon lugs extending from the lower portion, constitutinga hinge upon which the upper part 26 may swing, and at the opposite sidethere are lugs 29 upon the upper part 26, through which and throughcorresponding lugs 30 on the lower part may pass a locking-rod 31,whichis withdrawn in order to permit the upper part to be swung back toexpose the interior of the guide- .tube.

It will be evident that while I have shown the die and means forcarrying it toward a stationary pipe the pipe might be forced into astationary die, one being the equivalent of the other.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangementshown, I claim 1. A pipe-bending machine, comprising a traveling dieadapted to receive a pipe, means for moving the same, a bearing orholder for the pipe, and means for forcing a series of spheres throughthe pipe while it is forced through the die, substantially as described.

2. In a bending-machine, the combination of a stationary bearing orholder for the article to be bent, a carriage, a die upon the carriageand means for moving the carriage toward the stationary bearing orholder, substantially as described.

3. In a pipe-bending machine, the combination of a die, means forforcing a pipe through the die, and rotary devices for forcing a seriesof spheres through the pipe while it is be ing bent, the axis of thesaid rotary devices being at an angle to the line of movement of thepipe, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a stationary bearing for a pipe, a carriage, a diesupported by said carriage and adapted to receive the end of the pipe,means for moving the carriage and a series of spheres, and means forpropelling them through the pipe, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the die A and series of spheres, ofpropelling-wheels E, E adapted to receive and propel the spheres,substantially as described.

6. The combination with the die A, of a series of spheres,propelling-wheels E, E, and guide-tube D, D, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the traveling carriage B, die A, spheres andpropelling-wheels, means for driving the wheels, means for propellingthe carriage, and devices whereby to throw the carriage-propelling meansinto and out of operation, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the carriage, die, spheres, propelling-wheels,carriage-propelling screw F, shaft 5 geared to operate thepropelling-wheels, gears 14, 15, 17 and a support for the gear 17, andmeans for shifting said support, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT CLARKE.

Witnesses:

OHAPLIN MOOREHEAD, WALTER H. HIGGINS.

